Legend

One is
everywhere; the other is so very rare. Just a thin brittle line makes them so
contrasting, but yet so similar. One's a winner, the other is victorious. The
one who clocks up 11 wins from 17 races, 4 championships, 37 wins, 43 pole
positions all within just 2.5 decades of his existence, is a Racer. And the
other.. he's just a Driver.

Racers, unlike drivers, are born to crank up the
engine when they want to- just for the pure pleasure of hitting the maximum
revs, to put even the most palling comments behind their backs and focus on
what’s priority. They’re the ones who do mistakes and learn from them. And most
importantly - To win - in such a way, that his competitors appear on track
almost half a minute after he has done half another lap, looking like
Goliath(s) in front of a mighty David. And to win in such a way that people
never doubt his supremacy.

A racer who is more enthralled in step-by-step
and gradual improvement (unlike the likes of other drivers on the grid) is
Sebastian Vettel - a paradox of a person, who is a slow taker in life, but
blitzes on track with his Hungry Heidi.

Once again, he crossed the line with tears
under the helmet and with the emotion, you'd imagine to be felicity or even
pride outside, to be crowned the youngest ever consecutive quadruple world
champion. Add to that, crowning each and every member of his team a quadruple
world champion having reeled in the constructor’s championship with those
valuable 25 points that India offered to RedBull and their golden boy, making
them the most successful team driver partnership after Ferrari/Schumacher.

Those who watched the great Argentinian Manuel
Fangio race in the golden ages of Formula One, would've never thought about a
Michael Schumacher to completely dominate the sport and label himself as one of
the greatest of the greats. And when we watched Michael race with the cherry
red Ferrari, we never would have expected another adept and successful
partnership like Ferrari/Schumacher once again exposing us to another 'era' of
Formula One under the name of the 'Vettel/RedBull era'.

For fans, the four years have been ho hum (Minus
2012, which was nailbiting and interesting). RedBull was a storm that basically
wiped out any team blocking their path. And Vettel? Well, we never really got
to see him for he was always out of the screen, far away into the lead and
driving flawlessly and perfectly- which for the human race isn't the most
interesting thing to watch (We always love the underdog). And so did he get all
the boos from around the world. Starting from Silverstone, to Canada, Monza,
Belgium and Singapore. He did joke about it calling them 'fans on a tour bus',
but after his post Indian GP win, he talked about mental support from his
family that kept him strong through all of the undeserved battering. While
there was uproar against the newly crowned world champion among the spectators,
we saw Niki Lauda take his hat off (rare feat) for Sebastian during the
Singapore Grand Prix.

"If the good lord had mixed a
cocktail with all the best features of a racing driver, Sebastian Vettel is the
result" The three time world
champion, and an executive of Mercedes, Niki Lauda was quoted by Auto Bild.

And so said they all, from Alain Prost, to
Michael Schumacher to even Lewis Hamilton! He wrote: Seb is great champion. Not
only that, he is a great human being who is funny and humble. Deserves all the
success he is having.I admire his
dedication and ability to consistently perform without mistakes. This is the
mark of a true champion.”

After the 3 perfect donuts on the main straight
for the fans, a bow down to his Hungry Heidi and a reprimand for himself (+ $25000
fine), Vettel celebrated his becoming of the 4th driver in 60 year old sport to
become the youngest ever 4 time world champion and only the 3rd racer to achieve
them consecutively.

Perhaps for those who have just a passing
interest may turn off the TV to watch another sport which generally showcases
interesting finales, but the story behind Vettel's success goes deeper than just
the surface reason: "it’s the car".

Yes, it's Adrian 'the genius' Newey who has
always stretched the rules, 'interpreted' it in different ways (A phrase which
we failed to understand) and produce the most aerodynamically efficient car on
the grid, no matter what changes the FIA constantly bring about with the
probable hope that it might shuffle the order.

But Sebastian Vettel's driving has turned the
best car on the grid to a championship winning car. Something which teammate
has failed to do the last 4 years. In 2010, spectators and pundits would've
easily picked out a hundred faults with his driving. But since then the number
has certainly dropped to a near nil this season. Bar the British Grand Prix,
when he retired leading from the front, Vettel has never finished below P4 in
the last 19 races. And after the summer break, it looked like he had rented out
the top step of the podium after winning 9 races consecutively.

It’s
believed that we see our true selves only when we go through the most difficult
times because it makes us stronger. And so is the story of a world champion who
held his head high through thick and thin, a true racer, rare to find and
surely one in a billion.

Kudos to
Sebastian Vettel, beyond all modesty he exhibits on air, is the unifying bond
that holds the Red Bull team together to keep their spirits high and motivated
to want more.

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